PUPPETS are centre stage at the Unity Theatre in Liverpool this autumn.

And Red Ladder Productions arrive tomorrow to kick the season off with Forgotten Things, a darkly comic reflection on the pressures of family life.

Being performed tomorrow and Wednesday evening at 8pm, Forgotten Things follows the story of one boy’s often-futile fight to be heard above the noise of everyday life.

Fusing puppetry, physical performance and theatrical trickery, it will make young people and their families stop and listen.

On Thursday, October 8, at 8pm, Faulty Optic present Fish Clay Perspex; a series of short, character studies and incidences based upon chance, futility, expectation, doubt and the turmoil caused by the failings of the human mind.

Faulty Optic manipulate puppets, miniature figures, clay, lagging, pens and plastic proving that puppets can be just as compelling as human performers. To coincide with Faulty Optic’s performance, Unity will literally be invaded by the weird and wonderful puppets of Puppet Pool! You can enjoy a cocktail with singing waiter Salvatore before enjoying impromptu puppet cabaret acts throughout the building, with performances from 7.15pm.

November sees The Ding Foundation bring their haunting puppetry skills to Unity’s stage with Hanging By A Thread (suitable for 14+), on Saturday, November 3.

Prepare to be slowly guided into a wordless story as a mother and daughter create and are consumed by a bed that has developed a life of its own.

Wrapping up the season is a festive treat for the whole family; as the NICE Festival presents Greela And The Thirteen Yule Lads (Tales of Icelandic Christmas) on Saturday, November 21, at 11am and 2.30pm.

Gifts left in shoes, milk disappearing from the fridge, mysterious figures whisking into the shadows… this can only mean one thing – it’s Christmas time in Iceland and the Yule Lads are back in town.

Tickets for all performances are on sale now. To book, call the Box Office on 0151-709 4988 or visit www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk